Sadfishing for Sympathy

The trend of sharing a sad tale online, intentionally or unintentionally, that elicits attention and compassion from others

- By MAMTA SHARMA

The digital world is a maze. It has put our personal lives out there more than ever. Had an ugly breakup and put up a sad quote on Instagram? Went to the emergency room and posted a picture? Enter sadfishing—a trend that refers to social media users who exaggerate their emotional state online to generate sympathy.

The term was coined by journalist Rebecca Reid in 2019 after Kendall Jenner's emotional Instagram post about her acne struggles turned out to be part of a sponsored campaign. Like catfishing, which involves faking an identity online, sadfishing refers to fabricating emotional distress on social media to get engagement or even influence. But in a world where mental health awareness is more critical than ever, the question remains: when does sharing struggles online become a cry for help, and when does it turn into emotional manipulation?

Vulnerability and Performance

In December last year, actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu was called out on social media for bringing up her divorce with actor Naga Chaitanya. Many accused her of seeking attention and criticised her timing, especially when Chaitanya's marriage with actor Sobhita Dhulipala had already been announced. One user wrote, "Samantha needs to move on. No point talking about something that happened three years ago."